


Waffles at 2:00 am

by afewreelthoughts



Series: (Renly x Robb modern au, title forthcoming) [1]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-08-02 08:52:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16301993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afewreelthoughts/pseuds/afewreelthoughts
Summary: prompt: "a fic where Renly and Robb meet at a Waffle House drunk at 2 in the morning and the relationship that blossoms from it"





	Waffles at 2:00 am

Robb was supposed to be fast asleep that morning. He was supposed to have been asleep for hours. His parents’ plane was arriving in three hours, and he was supposed to be there at the airport to meet them. But at the moment he was sloshed, wasted, potted and… He couldn’t think of any other words for “drunk,” and the menu at the Waffle House was too complicated.

“What can I get you?” his server asked.

“Food,” Robb said.

If he didn’t sober up immediately, he couldn’t drive to the airport, and then he would have to explain to his parents why he wasn’t there, and he’d never been very good at lying, so he’d eventually have to say, “I got so drunk with Theon and the rugby team that I couldn’t walk in a straight line, and only I’ve been at college for about a month.”

He put his head in his hands and groaned.

He heard the sound of snickering from the booth beside him.

“What’s so funny?” he said into his hands.

“Did you make him cry, Renly?” a voice said.

“He’s not crying. He’s just drunk.”

“I’m not crying,” Robb whined.

A boy’s head and two arms appeared on the back of the booth in front of him. “Are you crying?” the boy asked.

“No,” Robb said.

The boy had long, dark hair and bright blue eyes. He rested his chin on his folded arms. “See, Brienne, he’s fine,” he said.

“He’s probably not as drunk as you are,” the other voice said, probably Brienne’s? The boy turned around and stuck his tongue out at her.

Robb giggled. He couldn’t help it.

“Wanna come sit with us?” Renly said. He winked at Robb, and Robb’s stomach felt funny.

“Ummm…” Robb looked down at the menu again. “Yeah, sure.”

Renly scooted down his side of the booth, across from Brienne, a tall, freckled girl that Robb recognized. Renly, he didn’t recognize. His long hair was tied up in a knot on the top of his head and glitter was smeared on his cheeks and tight t-shirt. Apparently, there were more parties than just the rugby team’s that night. 

“Hi, I’m Robb,” he said, cause he couldn’t think of anything else. 

“You’re a freshman, right?” Brienne said. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around.” 

Robb recognized Brienne, if only because she was taller than most everyone else on campus, but that was not a nice thing to say, so he didn’t say it. 

“Yeah, I’m a freshman.” 

“Looking forward to parents weekend?” Brienne said. “Do you have people coming.”

“You didn’t get drunk cause of it, did you?” Renly asked. 

That was a lot of questions for Robb’s brain. “Yeah, there are people coming. No, that’s not why I drank. Who would get drunk on purpose the night before parents weekend?” 

Renly laughed. “Whooooo indeed?” 

“Sorry,” Robb said. 

“Renly wanted to get drunk tonight,” Brienne said. “His family is…” She trailed off and awkwardly looked down at her menu.

“They suuuuuuuuck,” Renly supplied. “I can’t believe I was sad they haven’t come in two years.” He slumped backwards in his seat. 

Brienne’s boyfriend Jaime, tall and golden and handsome, arrived, and everyone at the table ordered. When Robb was stuck between two options, Renly said, “Get them both, if you don’t finish them, someone else here will.”

Robb tuned out from the conversation for a few minutes, as everyone else there seemed to have a lot to catch up on, until he heard a name he recognized too well.

“So you ready for  _all_ the Baratheons  _all weekend_ , Renly?” Jaime asked and smirked. “Who’s gonna start shit first, Robert or Stannis?” 

Renly groaned. 

“Wait… you’re Renly  _Baratheon_?” Robb said. 

“Yeah. Why?” Renly said.

“I’m Robb Stark. Your brother is my dad’s best friend?” Robb asked. 

Renly sat up again. “Shit, you are? Did we meet when I was like… ten?”

“I think so.”  

Whenever “Bobby B” had visited, he usually visited alone, but Robb remembered one time when he had brought his two brothers, one of them very sad and serious, the other a couple years older than Robb and spent all his time hanging out with Theon, and seemed to charm everyone else there. Robb remembered being very jealous.

“We did! You stole my best friend that weekend.”

“I thought I made friends with everybody,” Renly said. 

“Yeah you did, but he thought you were  _so cool._ ” Robb rolled his eyes.

“Theon… Greyjoy, right? You guys still hang out?”

“Well, it’s his fault I’m drunk right now, so yeah!” 

Renly laughed and slumped back again. 

“These seats aren’t comfortable,” he said, to no one in particular. Across the booth from them, Brienne and Jaime were deep in conversation, though Robb couldn’t make out what they were saying. Jaime rested his hand on top of Brienne’s. 

“They’re the worst, aren’t they?” Renly said. “So _straight_  and right in front of me.”

“You’re not straight?” Robb asked, the question appearing on his lips as soon as he thought it.

Jaime snorted.

Renly stuck his tongue out at Jaime and Brienne. “No, I’m not,” he said to Robb and grinned.

“He’s covered in glitter, and his pants are too tight,” Jaime said. 

“You’re a jerk,” Renly said.

And then the food arrived, and it took up all of Robb’s focus. It seemed like way too much on the plates in front of him, but he ate every bit of it. His mind seemed to clear of its wooziness, but that was replaced by sheer exhaustion. He leaned back in the booth next to Renly and closed his eyes, deeply contented. Why had he been so worried when he’d walked in here? Theon had invited him to that party with his team, and everyone kept drinking, and Robb had lost track of how much cause he wasn’t keeping up with them at all, and then he had gotten hungry, and the food at the party was either disgusting or spilled on the floor, and no one else wanted to leave with him, so when he’d remembered the restaurants nearby campus, he had walked here alone and his parents -

He sat up straight. “I’m not sober yet, am I?”

“Probably not,” Brienne said, a concerned look on her face. “It takes time.”

“My parents’ plane lands in two hours! I don’t know if I can meet them!” 

“Why not?” Renly asked.

“Cause he can’t drive, dumbass,” said Jaime.

“Can they take a cab from the airport?” Brienne asked. “It is really early in the morning for you to be up.”

“They said they’d be fine, but…”

“But what?” Brienne asked.

“I promised to pick them up, and if I don’t… they’ll… ask why.” He felt his insides collapsing. “I’m not legal to drink, and I’ve  _never_ done anything like this at home, and they’re gonna be so disappointed…” He felt like crying.

“You  _never_  got drunk in high school?” Renly asked.

“No,” Robb said. “They were so proud.”

He looked down at the table in front of him, at his plates scraped clean.

“Can we get more coffees?” Brienne asked the waitress.

“Certainly.”

“Thanks, Brella” Renly said and smiled at her. “When do you have to pick them up?”

Robb ran his foot along the grimy floor.

“Robb!” Renly nudged him with his shoulder. “When do you have to pick your parents up?” 

“Umm… two hours? Maybe more?”

“That’s still some time. If you have some more coffee and stay up, maybe you could make it?” 

“Or you could bring a friend with you to split the drive,” Brienne said. “It’s good to stay safe.” She looked pointedly at Renly.

“I stay safe,” Renly said. 

Robb nodded, and tried to think of all the people he knew other than Theon… 

“Or you could lie?” Renly said. “Go back to your room, go to sleep, and tell them you stayed up late studying.” He shrugged. “That’s what I’d do.”

“I guess,” Robb thought. He sighed. Brienne was right. He shouldn’t drive even two hours from now. 

“It’s okay,” Renly said. “It’s okay to do something you’re not proud of.”

Robb snorted. “Sure, whatever.” 

“I mean it, you can’t be too hard on yourself. You literally just got here.” 

Robb looked around the table, and all he found were sympathetic faces. None of these people really knew him, though he guessed they were all friends after this. Maybe it was okay. 

“Thanks,” he said to no one in particular. He settled back again. 

“You’re gonna be okay,” Renly said, and Robb believed him. 

***

“You must have stayed up very late,” Robb’s dad said after the fourth time he had yawned that morning. 

“I did,” Robb said. “Sorry.” 

“We’re going on the campus tour soon, and we’ll meet up when everyone else gets here in the afternoon,” his mom said. “The girls and Bran are exhausted.” 

“I imagine,” Robb said. “I can’t believe you brought the whole family.”

“We wanted to surprise you,” she said and kissed the top of his head again. 

“Is it all right if Robert and his brothers joins us?” his dad asked, as they walked down the path to where people were gathering for tours. Three tall men with identically dark hair stood on the edge of the group. “Turns out his little brother is here, too.”

“Sure,” Robb said. 

“NED!” Bobby yelled and opened his arms to embrace Robb’s dad and rock him back and forth. “And little Robb! Not so little anymore!” And then his arms wrapped tight around Robb and almost lifted him from the ground.

He recognized Renly’s laughter, but when he saw him, he was practically unrecognizable in a neat, plain suit, his hair perfectly in place. 

“Nice to meet you,” Renly said and held out his hand.

Robb took his hand. “Nice to meet you, too,” he said. 

Renly winked. 


End file.
